A review of Bubble no-code bootcamps

Hi, I’m Sam! I have been a product manager for years. Now I work as an industry mentor for the product, strategy, and operations track at Pathrise. I help people land their dream job through technical training and 1-on-1 mentorship. Check out my review of Bubble no-code bootcamps.

What does Bubble do?
Who is Bubble for?
What does Bubble cost?
Ratings and reviews of Bubble
Alternatives to Bubble
How does Bubble compare to Pathrise?

What does Bubble do?

Bubble is a no-code platform, which allows people to create websites without knowing how to code. They now offer online bootcamps that teach people how to use their visual programming platform to develop web apps with a simple drag-and-drop interface. Students also learn the skills they need to become a product manager for their own software product as they test, iterate, and launch their own MVPs (minimal viable products). Products built with Bubble’s no-coding software have been successfully scaled and even acquired by big tech companies.

Every bootcamp comes with access to a paid membership plan. Therefore, students can work hands-on with Bubble’s software to develop their own products. The instructor-student ratio is only 8:1, allowing for lots of personalized feedback. In addition to supportive instructors, students get access to a private community for their bootcamp, membership to Bubble’s broader 15,000+ community, and video recordings of each class for extra review. While no prior experience is required, students must complete less than an hour of pre-work before starting their bootcamp.

Build and Launch

Students in the Build and Launch bootcamp develop their own MVPs (minimal viable products) in just 2 months. The course consists of 8 weekly 2-hour live sessions guided by expert instructors. However, Build and Launch students should also expect 1-2 hours of weekly work on assignments outside of class as they develop their own applications.

Students begin the bootcamp by crafting a vision for a new product. Then, they define the scope of an MVP to test their new idea’s viability. After students spec out the core features, they use Bubble’s software to design their very own tech product. Finally, students test and iterate their new product as they prepare to scale. Bubble experts are available throughout the course to support students in building their new products. Grads leave the 8-week bootcamp with their own fully functional product prototypes ready to be scaled.

Professional

The 2-month Professional bootcamp also consists of 8 weekly 2-hour live sessions led by expert Bubble developers. However, the bulk of the course is hands-on as students spend 2+ hours each week building products. The curriculum teaches students to become successful developers who can win clients, all without any coding skills. Experts teach students advanced Bubble skills through live sessions, weekly office hours, and a formal assessment. First, students learn the major building blocks of different popular apps. Students then learn the practical skills they need to build common app archetypes like marketplaces, dashboards, and social networks like Twitter without any coding skills. The curriculum also covers professional skills like how to explain Bubble development to an agency and acquire freelance clients.

Fundamentals

While not currently open for enrollment, a 4-week Fundamentals bootcamp is on the way. This beginner-friendly course will consist of 4 live sessions. Students will learn foundational app development skills with Bubble’s no-coding software.

Who is Bubble for?

People with no development experience who want to build their own software products without learning to code could benefit from Bubble’s Build and Launch bootcamp. Their software training course could also be a good match for students seeking to work with the product life cycle as they build, test, and iterate their own software products.

While the Professional bootcamp is open to students of all levels, the curriculum caters to people who have some technical Bubble skills already. Students seeking a faster-paced course that focuses on business skills as well as no-coding web development may be a good fit. The practical business curriculum could also be helpful for aspiring entrepreneurs, product managers, and freelancers who want to start developing a software product right away, without learning to code.

What does Bubble cost? How much work is involved?

The Professional bootcamp course costs $2,000. Students in the Build and Launch bootcamp pay $600 to $800, depending on how early they register for the cohort.

Since Bubble offers no-coding bootcamps to help people without technical backgrounds build products, there is no formal admissions process. Students only have to complete 52 minutes of pre-work before beginning their course. However, the Professional bootcamp can move so fast that students may want to have some experience with Bubble’s software before enrolling. Students in the Launch and Build may also want to identify a problem they could solve with a software product so they can hit the ground running.

Ratings and reviews

While their platform is well established, Bubble’s bootcamps are relatively new and do not have too many online reviews. A student on YouTube loved that the 8:1 student-instructor ratio lets learners “ask questions” and get support. The student also liked that the bootcamps “give quite a lot of supplemental materials” that he found “valuable to revisit.” While the student described the bootcamp as “worth it” overall, he warned that “since there’s so much to learn it is actually really tough just understanding all of the things they’re clicking and doing.” The grad also felt their software was most helpful for “super basic” applications and might not be the right choice for more advanced software.

Redditors raved that “instructors were super friendly” and felt that the bootcamp would be “a great way to find founders in the same situation” to add to their networks. Bubble’s mission to make hand-coding obsolete has been featured in The New York Times, Mixergy, and enough TechCrunch articles to prove the platform makes coders nervous. One Yahoo News article warned “tech jobs may disappear in the face of automation” as simple drag-and-drop interfaces like Bubble put coders out of work.

Bubble’s founders have no love for the ballooning coding economy either, describing TechCrunch’s steady stream of seven-figure deal announcements as “depressing.” Their bootcamps could be a great option for students who want to break into the tech industry without learning to code.

Alternatives to Bubble

If you decide not to enroll in Bubble’s bootcamp, there are a number of other resources and bootcamps to help you launch a software development or product management career.

The tech bootcamp One Month offers a 5+ hour programming for non-programmers course to give students a sense of the tech industry and learn about web developer job duties. They also offer courses in product management, marketing, software engineering, and even Python for data analytics.
Students seeking a remote program can check out Thinkful, Dorm, and Perpetual Education, which have courses in product management and development. Students get access to an income share agreement (ISA) so they pay with a percentage of their salary after they land a job.
People who want to code software instead of using a drag and drop platform can check out Codecademy. They host free hands-on coding courses on web development and dozens of programming languages. They offer $20-40 monthly membership options for greater course options and support. Read more about Codeacademy in our review.
Another coding bootcamp with an ISA option is Kenzie Academy. They offer in-person and online bootcamps in 2 tracks full-stack software engineering & UX design and front-end engineering. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
The popular bootcamp General Assembly teaches full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of tech topics like web dev and product management. Learn more about General Assembly in our review.
Another tech bootcamp that teaches web dev and PM is BrainStation. Students build portfolio projects, participate in professional development, and get access to over a thousand hiring partners like Google and Facebook.
The Menon Labs fellowship helps people learn the skills to get a job in web dev, data, and product management.
You can also check out School16, which teaches marketing, product management, and sales.

More alternatives

Aspiring product managers can check out Product School. Their bootcamp teaches full-time and part-time courses with career support and weekly mentoring. Grads can get formal certificates to help them land a job.
Similarly, Product Academia offers full-time and part-time PM courses with formal certificates for grads. Like Bubble, their founders have a powerful mission behind the program: diversify the tech industry by helping women start new careers as product managers.
Product managers with some experience can check out Product Faculty. Their part-time online bootcamp helps students accelerate their careers.
The product management community Mind the Product has 150,000+ members who participate in workshops and networking that can help people launch their PM careers.
Another product management association is Product Gym. They offer training, job support, and networking opportunities for aspiring product managers.
Students interested in university courses can check out Coursera. This online learning platform hosts both free and paid courses taught by professors at accredited universities.
Aspiring web developers looking to learn to code can check out the part-time and full-time options offered by DevPoint Labs, Boise CodeWorks, or Rutgers Bootcamps.
Another affordable platform for university learning is edX. They offer both free and paid courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT, plus big tech companies like Microsoft. Students can choose to learn the fundamentals or dive deeper into specific topics, like Agile systems for product management. Read more about edX in our review.
People looking for a hands-on program with mentoring can check out Udacity. Their platform offers both free and paid self-paced courses in web dev as well as product strategy, design, and launch. Students in their “nanodegree” programs work with technical mentors and career mentors as they build polished product management projects. Find out if Udacity is right for you in our review.

How does Bubble compare to Pathrise?

Bubble offers bootcamps that teach students to build software without any coding skills. Since Bubble’s software can be a powerful tool for non-coders who want to build products, their bootcamps can be taken concurrently with Pathrise. Their program could also prepare learners for Pathrise’s product management track, which requires some prior experience.

While Bubble’s curriculum covers professional skills students can use to launch products and become freelancers, they do not actually help students through their job search. Pathrise is a career accelerator that guides people through each phase of the job search. Fellows work 1-on-1 with experienced mentors on resume and LinkedIn optimization, portfolio building, technical and behavioral interview skills, and much more. We have already helped 1,000+ students and professionals land great tech jobs.

Like Bubble, our program is flexible. Fellows in our program only have 2-4 hours of group sessions per week and can schedule 1-on-1s as needed. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that fellows don’t pay anything until they land a job they love and start working. We never require upfront payments or deposits.

Pathrise optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentoring. With our guidance and training, fellows in our program can see their interview scores double and their application responses triple. If you want to land your dream job sooner, join Pathrise.